LOS ANGELES, Aug 7 — Walt Disney Co is set to launch its family-friendly streaming service, Disney+, later this year with a slate of new and classic TV shows and movies, as the company founded on theme parks and big-screen movies builds a digital entertainment business.
The ad-free service will include movies and TV series from Disney and will feature programming from the Marvel superhero universe, the Star Wars galaxy, Toy Story creator Pixar animation and the National Geographic channel.
The company yesterday reported a steeper earnings decline than Wall Street expected as it poured money into the streaming media business, which outweighed gains from the worldwide success of Avengers: Endgame.
Below are some key facts on Disney+:
How much would the subscription cost?
US$7 a month or US$70 a year
When is the service expected to debut?
The company is set to roll out its service on November 12
What is the number of subscriber expected?
Disney expects to attract between 60 million and 90 million subscribers by the end of fiscal 2024
When is the service expected to turn a profit?
It expects to achieve profitability in fiscal year 2024
How much will company spend on original content for Disney+?
The media and entertainment company plans to spend a little over US$1 billion to finance original programming in fiscal 2020 and about US$2 billion by 2024.
How much does Disney expect to lose in licensing revenue?
Prior to its plans of launching Disney+, Disney was supplying content such as Black Panther and Beauty and the Beast to Netflix, but that arrangement ended this year. Disney estimated it is foregoing US$150 million in licensing revenue this fiscal year by saving programming for its own platforms.
When the service debuts on November 12, programming available from Disney’s libraries will include:
Classic Disney animated movies such as 101 Dalmations and Bambi
The entire Pixar catalogue including A Bug’s Life and Cars
Captain Marvel and three other Marvel films
The first and second Star Wars trilogies
More than 5,000 episodes of Disney Channel shows such as Hannah Montana
Disney will also create original programming exclusively for the service. According to the company, that will include:
Star Wars
A new season of animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars
A live-action Star Wars series called The Mandalorian, developed by Jon Favreau
A TV series starring Diego Luna that is a prequel to the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Marvel
A series focused on the villain Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston
A series starring Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch
Animation
Monsters at Work, a series inspired by Pixar hit Monsters Inc Billy Crystal and John Goodman will return as the voices of Mike and Sulley.
Movies
Remakes of Disney classics such as Lady and the Tramp and Sword in the Stone
Noelle, a Christmas fantasy adventure starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader
Togo, starring Willem Dafoe in a story about a famous sled dog
Television
A new High School Musical series
Diary of a Female President, a comedy series about a 12-year-old Cuban-American girl on a journey to become president of the United States
Non-fiction
Marvel’s 616, a documentary series exploring the intersection between Marvel stories and characters and the real world
Be Our Chef, a food competition show in which families compete and the winner’s dish will be served at Walt Disney World — Reuters